Influencing is quickly becoming the dominating marketing model of many fashion brands, specifically those that are newer or digitally based. With the sheer amount of these brands rising in the past five years and a change in advertising as a whole, with younger markets moving away from traditional media, and a rise in media literacy reducing susceptibility to advertising techniques; its near impossible for a new brand to cut above the noise. This is where influencer marketing comes in.
An influencer can promote to a captive audience, already engaged in their content. The faux personal relationship to the interaction between content creator and content consumer crafts an endorsement that is made to feel adjacent to a recommendation from a friend, rather than a billboard spread or celebrity also allow one brand to target audiences in new ways, such as simultaneously using the traditional slim model body types in the majority of advertisements, whilst incorporating plus size influencers in separate channels, who will try on the clothes and give a realistic depiction of how they look on multiple body types outside of the model norm.
If a brand can make enough deals across the influencer markets, or just hits one big name such as Kim Kardashian or even strikes lucky in the case of this summer’s polka dot Zara dress then they have the power to create the newest fashion trend and drive traffic to their website.
The darker side of this mode of advertising is the incessant promotion of fast fashion brands. Seeing your favourite influencers massive ‘hauls’ every few weeks, from a number of fast fashion companies, normalises the ‘wear once’ culture that fuels Instagram. Whilst wasteful fashion is hardly a novel concept exclusive to influencers, it increases with the pressure on users to photograph their newest OOTD (outfit of the day) and not to re-wear outfits, at least to not post if they are, so if they want to engage in the social media culture and take photographs at events they feel they have to buy a new outfit
. Simultaneously the opposite is also true. There are influencers that are focused on sustainability and part of the push back against fast fashion, demonstrating a new way to influence, promoting ‘slow’ fashion, implementing a ’30 wears’ rule and including the use of reusable items like metal water bottles and washable makeup wipes. This works in tandem with the rise of youth climate strikes and suggests that the use the influencing model of creating trends can be used for social good.
